My Other Half
by MissMariaWrites
Summary: AU/AH: When you were old enough to be an eligible bachelor or bachelorette, you were given a necklace. The necklace was only half of a unique shape, and it was said that when you found the other half, you found your soulmate. Rated M for later chapters. Will most likely be a three (or more) shot.
1. Part I

**For those of you who read my blog, this new story shouldn't be that big of a surprise for y'all. **

**For everyone else: SURPRISE!**

**I've hit a writer's block in ****_Inked_****, therefore I have hit a writer's block in ****_Marked_****. Whenever I hit writer's blocks, I usually go and work on another piece which I have no intention of publishing (this one). Now, I didn't intent on publishing this one, but in the end I liked the idea of putting this up so I have spent a couple of hours editing it so I could put it up.**

**This will probably be a three (or more) shot, but it won't be a full blown story like ****_We Are the Same_****.**

**Okay, enjoy! **

* * *

My Other Half

Part I

_When you were old enough to be an eligible bachelor or bachelorette, you were given a necklace. The necklace was only half of a unique shape, and it was said that when you found the other half, you found your soul mate._

_They had come up with this long ago as another way to control society- to control who we would marry. That was the catch- you could not marry anyone else except the one who possessed the other half. If you were to fall in love with someone that did not complete your necklace, you were out of luck._

_But that was said to hardly happen. No one tried to carry out a relationship with someone who did not have the other half of their necklace, because there was no point._

"Caroline, you got a package!" Liz said as she walked back into her home, dropping the small package on the kitchen table.

"Coming!" Caroline shouted down the stairs as she finished brushing her hair. It was her 18th birthday today and she took some extra time to pick out a cute outfit and do her hair. Not like there was much she could do- living in the Towns and all.

Living in the Towns meant that you weren't exactly on the top of the socioeconomic chain. Your clothes were probably hand-me-downs, but if you wanted to get something nice you would have to make a trip to the black market or learn how to sew. And your hair, well, all natural was the only way to go.

After pulling on one of her mom's old (but well taken care of) blouses and a lace skirt she had been able to pick up at the market, she bounded down the stairs, her blonde waves flowing behind her.

"Morning" She said as she poured herself some milk and got a slice of bread. She sat down at the table and looked at the small package.

It was wrapped in brown paper, a simple white sticker with her name, address and birthday placed at the top. She realized what it was immediately.

Caroline reached out and grabbed the small box, carefully tearing away at the paper with trembling hands, exposing a smooth white box. She opened the lid, holding her breath.

Inside was the necklace.

She picked it up carefully, running her thumb over the small silver shape. It was smooth and shone in the light; one side of it had jagged edges while the other had rounded bumps. She knew that the side with the jagged edges would be the one that would connect to the other half.

"That's it?" He mother said from behind her.

"Yes" Caroline said, pulling the chain over her head and adjusting the necklace. Liz came around and looked at the unique shape.

"It's very pretty" She said, smiling. But her smile didn't exactly reach her eyes.

Liz had found her other half. The thing was that Liz once lived in the City- the higher class. Her matched turned out to be William Forbes, a man that lived in the Town.

As part of the law, she was to marry him and move into his home.

She had never complained to Caroline because she truly had loved Bill, and when he passed away due to a rare disease, she cried for days.

"I should get to school" Caroline said, taking one last sip of her milk.

"Be safe" Liz said.

Caroline stopped at the door, slinging her bag over her shoulder and looking back at her mom who was dressed in her sheriff's uniform.

"You too, mom"

* * *

"Happy Birthday, Caroline!" Elena said, coming up to hug her longtime friend.

"Thanks, Elena" Caroline said, smiling as she pulled away.

"Oh my god, is that what I think it is?" Elena said, picking up the small shape that hung around her neck.

"Yes, it is" She sighed and watched as Elena inspected the necklace. Elena had gotten hers a few months back and wore it around her neck every day- they all had to. But unlike Caroline, Elena was excited about her necklace. She thought that the idea of having her perfect matched picked out for her already was so romantic and going on the journey to find them would be a great adventure.

"It's pretty, I wonder what it will look like when it's complete" Elena mused, letting go of the necklace and beginning to walk toward the school's front doors. Caroline fell into step next to her.

"Yeah, me too" She said, not meaning it completely.

They continued walking, talking about their weekends and what they would be doing after school. Not like there was much to do anyways.

The only place to go was The Grill, and after eighteen years of going there, Caroline had gotten tired of the place.

"So what do you think, The Grill after school?" Elena said, but Caroline hadn't been paying attention and frankly was in no mood to celebrate. Her birthday had been ruined with the arrival of a small package that morning.

"I can't, I promised I would have dinner for my mom tonight" She lied.

"Oh, alright. Maybe we can go out and celebrate on Friday?" Elena said hopefully and Caroline nodded.

The first bell rang and they said their goodbyes, parting ways to their classes.

* * *

After school, Caroline went straight home and went to her room. With nothing else to do, she got out her homework.

She had been able to maintain straight A's all through high school and hoped that when she graduated they would put her onto a good career path.

That's something else they control- what you'll do for the rest of your life. While in high school, you received a basic education and were told not to focus on one track. Once you graduated, they would look at all you test scores and cumilative grades and assign you to a feild.

You would work in that field for the rest of your life, and never change careers unless they told you to. But that probability was extremely slim, so slim that the only time people were asked to change careers was during the War when more people were needed to fight.

So Caroline had worked hard to do good on tests and maintain good grades so that when she would be assigned a field, it would be a respectable one. She wanted to get her and her mother out of the Town, maybe move them into one of the areas closer to the city where her mom wouldn't have to put herself in danger every day.

As the Sun began to set, she finished her homework and went down to the kitchen to get some dinner. Her mother wasn't home yet, but that was to be expected.

She served herself some leftovers and warmed them up in the microwave, then sat down at the kitchen table.

She ate quietly then washed up.

As a few stars started to appear in the sky, she left the house and made her way toward the borders of the Town. Technically she wasn't allowed to be out there, but the guards were never around to check.

Her mother was head of the guards and had put them to better use in the Town, catching the scums that would rob stores and break into homes.

The borders of the town was marked by a forest and no one ever went in there- there wasn't a point. If you passed the border, where would you go? You couldn't get to the city- it was too far and you would look like an outsider.

You could always try finding a rebel camp- if they even existed.

The rebels were the ones who had been able to run away and make their own living. Some of them were rumored to be from the City- stubborn rich kids tired of having to put up with all the rules and not being able to bribe their way out of the Soulmate law. Others were from the Town who couldn't stand the poverty anymore.

Either way, Caroline didn't believe any of it. Rebel camps were just rumors told to give hope to those in the Town. Everyone always talked about "Breaking out of this hell hole" and "Joining the rebel bad-asses", but no one ever did anything. Why? Because they were scared.

If there ever were rebel camps out there, they probably didn't exist anymore because The Council would have taken care of them.

The Council was sort of like the government. They were the ones that took over after the War and imposed all this "order" on everyone. The Soulmate law, the Career initiative- that was all them. And one thing was for sure- they were a force to be reckoned with.

She passed the line of trees that marked the border and found her favorite tree, climbing up the side and finding branch to sit on.

Caroline had been going there ever since her father had passed away. It had become awful to stay at home because her mother would always be crying, and even when Liz got better, Caroline went to that tree just to think.

She reached up and absently played with her new necklace, the one that would become a permanent fixture around her neck until she found the other half.

She was pulled out of her thought when she heard the faint sound of yelling coming from the Town.

"Get back here! Stop!" She heard a man yelling. She craned her neck and looked through the foliage, making out a man in a guard uniform, chasing after a figure that was making it's way quickly toward the forest.

"Stop!" The man said again, slowing down as the figure crossed the border. He stopped all together and placed his hands on his knees, reaching for the walkie-talkie that was strapped onto his belt.

"The suspect...got away" He said, into the receiver, breathing heavily.

"Again?"

"Yes" He said, standing up straight and trying to catch his breath.

"That's the fifth time this month!" Caroline recognized the voice coming out of the speaker as her mother's and she continued to watch, concentrating on making out what they were saying.

"Come back to the station- we'll see if we can catch them next time" She heard her mother say and the guard turned around, making his way back to Town.

Caroline looked back down at the forest ground where the figure stayed crouched on the ground behind a bush, watching as the guard left. After a few seconds, it stood up and made it's way toward a the tree next to the one she was on. Then, it began climbing up the side of the tree like she had done, and stopped at a branch.

They reached for what looked like a rope that had been tied around a small branch and began to lower what looked like a large basket. Everything had been camouflaged and the basket had been so high up that it blended into the canopy of leaves.

She watched as the figure grabbed the bag they had been carrying and began to empty its contents into the basket. Then the figure pulled what looked like a large plastic tablecloth over the top of the basket.

They hoisted the basket back up and tied the rope to the branch it had been previously tied to.

What she did not expect them to do was remove the hood from their head and look up at me.

"What are you doing here?" The dark skinned girl said, her eyes wide. Caroline was as shocked as she was.

"I could ask you the same" She said after recovering.

"You're the sheriff's daughter" The girl said and Caroline nodded. The girl looked away and muttered under her breath.

"I won't tell her if that's what you're worried about"

"You won't?" She looked back, surprised.

"No, but only if you tell me what you were doing" Caroline bargained. If this was as important as Caroline thought this was to her, she would accept the bargain.

"My name is Bonnie" She said with a small sigh "And I'm running away" She said, sitting down on her branch, letting her feet swing out in front of her.

"Why?" Caroline said as she mimicking her position.

"Because of this" She said, pulling her necklace out from under her hoodie. "I got it a few months ago- on my birthday, nonetheless. At the same time, I met this guy. He told me about a rebel camp a few miles away from here" She played with her necklace.

"A-A rebel camp?" Caroline stammered, not totally believing her. She nodded.

"Yes, he gave me directions on how to get there and a list of things I would need for the journey." Bonnie said, pointing up at the basket "I've been stealing the things I need for about a month now"

"Yeah, I heard"

"It was the only way- if I bought everything, they would suspect me."

"But what if you get caught?"

"I'm quick." She said proudly "And besides, I won't have to steal anymore, I have everything I need" She said.

"So when do you leave?" Caroline asked without thinking and her attention snapped to me. She narrowed her eyes.

"Why should I tell you?" Bonnie asked and Caroline thought it over, an idea forming in her mind.

"Let me come with you" She said.

"What?"

"Let me come with you" Caroline repeated.

"Why?"

"Same reason you want to leave" She said honestly, showing her her necklace.

"When did you get yours?" She asked.

"Today" Caroline said, looking down at the little shape. "I never wanted it. I knew I would get it eventually but I never wanted it" She said, more to herself than to Bonnie but she heard every word.

"Me, too" She said "And the thing is that I know who has my other half"

"You do?"

"Yes"

"Who is it?"

"Some guy named Jamie" She started "I was walking to The Grill when I bumped into him. My necklace was tucked into my shirt and I felt it get warmer. When I looked down, he had my other half around his neck"

"What did you do?" I asked.

"I got away as fast as I could. He's always been such a jerk to me and now we were soul mates? No way!" She said, scrunching her nose up. Caroline giggled, but found that what she was saying was my ultimate fear- what if her soulmate and she never clicked?

"So you really want to come?" Bonnie asked and Caroline nodded without hesitation. "Alright, be here tomorrow night at sunset"

"Should I bring anything?" Caroline asked, not sure what it was she had in that basket.

"No, I have more than enough for both of us" She said, beginning to climb down the side of the tree. Caroline did the same.

"Tomorrow, sunset, don't be late" Bonnie said as they met on the forest ground.

"I won't. I'm Caroline, by the way" She said, holding out her hand. Bonnie grabbed it and shook it.

"It's nice to meet you Caroline"

* * *

The next day Caroline tried to remain calm. She talked to her mom in the morning, went to school with Elena and even went to The Grill for a while after school.

When she got home she had an hour before sunset so she went to take a shower.

Caroline had been on edge all day but she tried to keep her nerves in check. Elena didn't seem to notice, her mom neither.

She got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, heading to her room and standing in front of the closet. What do you wear when you're running away to a rebel camp?

She settled for a pair of blue jeans and a black long sleeve v-neck. She pulled on a pair of old sneakers she had picked up at the market- apparently the "Converse" brand was big before the War. She ran a brush through her wet hair and went down to eat dinner.

Liz wasn't here as usual so when she finished dinner she went back upstairs to brush her teeth. As she was brushing her teeth she started thinking about things she would need.

Caroline quickly looked for a medium sized messenger bag she had hanging in her closet and packed the things she thought she would need. Before making her way downstairs she grabbed the letter she had made for Liz during her free period.

She placed it on the kitchen table and left the house before she could change my mind.

Walking towards the border she was more alert than usual. No one really went out at this time so no one ever saw her and there were no guards today either.

She got to her tree and climbed up the side of it, sitting on the branch she had sat on the day before. She looked up at the basket, but it wasn't there anymore.

That was strange.

She waited until the sun had set and it began to get darker.

Caroline was beginning to worry when she caught sight of Bonnie coming into the forest. Her climbed down and met her on the ground.

"Are you ready?" Bonnie asked and she nodded. Bonnie looked around the foliage and picked up a backpack she had hidden in a bush.

"What's that?" Bonnie asked, pointing to Caroline's messenger bag.

"I thought I would need a change of clothes"

"You're really planning on going aren't you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You thought I'd back out?" Caroline asked, but Bonnie only shrugged and began walking.

Caroline followed her, and they walked in silence for a while.

"You really know where we're going?" Caroline asked. She seemed to know the way, but then again she could be bluffing. She reached back into the pocket of her backpack and pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it to her.

Caroline opened it and saw what looked like a map. There were directions scribbled on the side and a line that lead from point A to point B.

"I've been studying that map for weeks. I know exactly where we are going" Bonnie said confidently.

"How much longer will we have to walk?" Caroline asked, folding up the paper and handing it to her again.

"If we keep a good pace, we can make it in a couple more hours" Caroline nodded and they continued walking.

* * *

They stopped to rest after walking for four hours. Bonnie had water and some food so they sat on the forest ground replenished our energy.

"Are we going to continue walking? It's really dark already and we could get hurt" Caroline pointed out. They could still faintly see where they were going because of the moonlight, but journeying a whole night would be difficult.

"I think we should stop. You're right, we can get injured" She said. She sounded a little dejected but tried not to let it show. She took a sip from her water bottle and handed it to Caroline. She did the same and examined her. Bonnie had her back hunched and she picked at her fingernails, frown etched into her featured.

"So what's his name?" Caroline said and Bonnie looked up.

"Who?"

"The guy that told you about the rebel camp?" She asked, watching her reaction. She hesitated a second but told her anyways.

"His name is Kol" She said. Caroline could hardly make it out in the dark but I saw her features lighten up a little bit.

"Ah," Caroline nodded and took another sip from the water bottle "And you like him" She said knowingly.

"No I don't!" She said quickly, her eyes wide.

"Your reaction tells me otherwise" Caroline said and Bonnie stayed quiet.

"Well-" She started "He is kind of cute" She said, a small smile playing at the sides of her lips.

"Uh-huh..." Caroline prompted, scooting closer.

"And he was really nice" She said.

"Yes..."

"Who am I kidding, he was so hot! And he completely understood me. Like, I've never been able to talk to a guy like I talked to him" Her eyes lit up as she spoke.

"Bonnie you are smitten!" Caroline said and Bonnie laughed. It all felt so normal- two girls talking about a guy.

"And he's from the City! He and his brothers ran away to the rebel camp so that they could get away from their father. I don't know exactly why but I didn't want to ask" She said.

"And how many times did you see him?"

"Only a couple of times. He came in through the border on my side of Town and we ran into each other. I had seen him coming in and we just clicked as soon as we saw each other." She said, smiling a little as she mentioned their connection "He was inspecting the Town and how people were living there. He told me about the rebel camp and I told him I wanted to go with him. We met up a few times after that and he gave me the map and a list of things I would need"

"And what were those things?"  
"Oh just clothes, water and food for the journey. Basic things"

"Well thanks for telling me I would need clothes!" Caroline said, half joking.

"Sorry I had just met you and didn't know if..." She trailed off and Caroline nodded.

"You didn't know if I would tell my mom" Caroline finished.

"Yeah"

"Well I didn't. I've never liked this whole soulmate things or the fact that your life is chosen for you- and my mom knew that" She said, feeling kind of sad. She had said goodbye to her mother the last time she saw her and left with no regrets. The letter Caroline had left told her that she had run away, but she didn't tell her she was going to a rebel camp.

"Okay well maybe we should get some rest, we have a few more hours of walking when we wake up" Bonnie said as a yawn escaped her. Caroline yawned too and they looked for a place to lay down.

"Goodnight, Bonnie" She said as I tried to make herself as comfortable as possible on the hard forest ground.

"Goodnight, Caroline" She said, and they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

They woke up the next morning at the break of dawn and had a light breakfast. While they ate, Bonnie took some time to explain the directions she was given so that Caroline wouldn't be so lost.

When they finished, the two girls packed up and began walking again.

After a couple of hours Bonnie stopped. Caroline stopped next to her.

"It's supposed to be right here" She said and Caroline looked around. They stood in front of a large boulder that stood in the center of the three bruce trees- exactly where Kol's directions indicated.

"Maybe we just missed him. We can just wait" Caroline suggested.

"Alright" Bonnie sighed and they turned to sit next to the boulder. But as they took a step, Caroline felt a tug on her leg and the world was turned upside down.

She heard Bonnie shriek and Caroline tried to orientate myself again. She tried to look up and caught a glimpse of their feet.

"It was a trap" Bonnie said and Caroline panicked.

"A trap?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, we stepped into one of their traps" Bonnie explained, her voice taking on a relieved tone.

"And this is a good thing?" Caroline said a little aggravated. Bonnie seemed so calm.

"It means that they'll be here"

"What?" Caroline asked skeptically, not exactly understanding her.

"Kol mentioned once that they check their traps at noon and before sunset- and it's almost noon" She said, the excitement evident in her voice.

"Ugh" Caroline groaned, dropping her bag to the ground. She heard another thump and knew that Bonnie had dropped her bag too.

They were about three feet off the ground, hanging by their ankles, back to back.

After a couple of minutes Caroline felt the blood rushing to her head she swung her body, reaching up and grabbing her ankles.

"What are you doing?" Bonnie asked and she looked down at her.

"I was getting light headed" Caroline said taking a few breaths. She looked at the knots that were tied around their ankles and tried to tug them loose, but the more she tugged the tighter they got. She huffed before dropping down again.

"How did you do that?"

"My mom's the sheriff, I've been taught a couple of things" Caroline said and they stayed quiet after that.

"It's noon" Caroline said after a couple of minutes, looking up at the Sun that was directly above them. She crossed her arms and pressed them to her stomach.

"He should-" Bonnie started and as if on cue, a group of men appeared around them. They moved in closer but slowly, as if the two girls were prey.

"Bonnie!" A voice called out and Caroline tried to turn to see who it was but he was behind her and moving wasn't exactly easy.

"Kol" She heard Bonnie's voice and it sounded weak. Speaking became kind of hard after hanging upside down for the better part of an hour.

Caroline felt the rope begin to move and she caught a glimpse of a knife sawing at at the rope. She dropped her hands and waited for the rope to go slack. As soon as the rope was broken, she was dropped on her hands. She kicked her feet out let them land on the ground. When she stood up she felt dizzy but she was able to stand up.

There was a man sitting on the ground with Bonnie leaning against his chest. They stood up slowly and Caroline saw that Bonnie was dizzy as well.

"Who is this?" The man said as he looked her over.

"This is Caroline" Bonnie said. Caroline watched as he placed an arm around her and Bonnie leaned on him slightly.

"And you must be Kol" Caroline said, her voice groggy. He cocked an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you were bringing anyone" He said to Bonnie, but kept his gaze on Caroline.

"Neither did I, until yesterday" Bonnie said.

"You met her yesterday?" He said, returning his attention to Bonnie, his tone incredulous.

"She feels the same way I do, Kol" She said, and Caroline saw the connection she had tried to explain. His demeanor changed immediately and he seemed to relax just by looking into Bonnie's eyes.

"Alright, get her" He said and Caroline felt her arms buckle behind her back. She looked around and saw two men behind her.

"What are they doing?" Bonnie said. Kol turned, keeping her at his side.

"I don't know her, Bon" He said. Bonnie turned around and gave Caroline an apologetic look. Caroline smiled, reassuring her.

They walked even more until they reached a wall.

It wasn't exactly a wall but it looked like one. The trees and foliage were so close together it formed something resembling a wall.

Kol went up to a tree whose trunk was about as wide as five feet. He pulled on the bark and it peeled away. Caroline watched in awe as she was led through it.

It was a door- they had carved a door into a tree. They had also carved a hole through the tree so that it served as an entrance.

When she stepped out of the tree she looked around.

There was a campsite in front of her. There were huts with straw roofs and fire pits that were put out. People walked around, talking and working.

Everything looked somewhat like the Town.

"Welcome to the Mystic Falls Rebel Camp" Kol said, gesturing to the campsite in front of the,.

"Mystic Falls?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, you'll find out why" He said dismissively. Caroline narrowed my eyes- he didn't seem to like her very much.

"Kol," Bonnie said, catching his tone. Caroline smiled at the thought that Bonnie was defending her. They had only known each other for a few days, but she knew they would be good friends.

"We'll go take her to see my brother. I only told him about you and he doesn't really like..." He looked Caroline over again "Surprises"

Caroline felt the men behind her push her forward a bit and they lead her through the camp, Kol and Bonnie leading the way again. Caroline looked around, the people who had been walking around and going about their day looked at her.

She held her head up and looked forward, trying not to look to the sides.

They reached a larger hut, this one was different from the others because it had steps leading up to the front door.

"Knock, knock brother!" Kol quipped as he opened the door without knocking.

"What is it, Kol" Caroline heard a voice coming from the inside of the hut as she was pushed through the door.

"I brought you a little surprise" Kol said, grinning. He seemed to enjoy pestering his brother.

The man sitting at the desk in the center of the room looked up. He had short hair but Caroline could see the sandy curls in the sunlight. His eyes were a light blue and his skin was slightly tanned.

He looked at Bonnie first and then at her.

"What is the meaning of this" He said, standing up. He was tall and lean.

"Well, this is Bonnie" Kol said and the man have one nod in her direction "And that's her friend" Kol said, gesturing toward Caroline.

"I was never told about her bringing a friend" The said, stepping around his desk.

"That's because I only found out about her today"

"Kol, you know what I said about-" The man started.

"I know, I know, but I didn't think this would happen" Kol said- no, he snapped.

"She could have compromised this whole camp"

"She's not-" Bonnie started but Kol gripped her arm and she stopped. Kol's brother paid no attention to her and continued looking at Kol.

"She could ruin everything we worked for" He said.

"She is standing right here" Caroline spoke up, fed up of being ignored. The man turned and cut me her a look, the intensity in his eyes almost throwing her back. Almost.

He walked toward Caroline until they were face to face. Caroline kept my eyes on his, her chin held up to meet his gaze.

"What is your name?"

"Caroline"

"Caroline what?" He asked and Caroline looked at Bonnie. Bonnie gave her a slight nod, urging her on.

"Caroline Forbes" She said, trying to keep her voice even.

"Forbes?" Kol said, looking at Bonnie "You brought the sheriff's daughter here?"

"The sheriff's daughter?" The man in front of Caroline said- no, growled.

"Don't worry, I checked her while we were asleep" Bonnie said and Caroline frowned. Bonnie pursed her lips and Caroline shook her head.

"I still don't trust her" Kol said.

"Me neither" The man said, turning around.

"Look, I don't like to be controlled. I don't like the fact that over there in the Town, my life is already planned out for me. I don't get to choose my career, I don't even get to choose who I marry and on top of that, no one seems to realize any of this. It's like as if they're all oblivious to what's going on or they're too scared to talk about it- and neither of those is good" Caroline sighed, feeling the exhaustion of walking for over half a day and hanging upside down for the better part an hour begin to weigh on her "You can search me and interrogate me but I guarantee you won't find anything" The man had turned around to face her again during her small speech.

He didn't say anything, but instead he looked down and pulled at the silver chain of her necklace. The little shape had been underneath her shirt and she had forgotten about it.

He held the small shape in his hand and frowned.

"When did you get this?"

"Yesterday," Caroline said "For my birthday" He nodded slightly and dropped the pendant.

"Let her go" He said and the two men that had been holding onto her arms let go. "My name is Klaus" He said, putting his hand out. The space between them was small, so when she placed her hand in his it felt more intimate than it should have.

"Kol, please show Bonnie and Caroline to their living quarters" Klaus said, still looking right into Caroline's eyes. He let go of her hand and turned, walking to his desk again.

Caroline looked over at Kol who seemed to have a shocked expression permanently etched on his face.

As they walked towards what she assumed was to be their new "living quarters", Kol stayed quiet. He kept an arm around Bonnie's waist and Caroline walked next to Bonnie.

He whispered something in Bonnie's ear and she giggled. Caroline smiled, realizing they had just had a cute moment in their own little world- she was glad Bonnie was happy.

"Here we are " He said as he stopped in front of a small cabin. It wasn't the smallest of the ones she had seen so far, but she had seen larger. "Since it's only you two you get one of the smaller cabins" Kol said as if he had read my mind.

When they walking inside, there were two freshly made beds, their bags were placed in front of our respective beds.

"Nice" Sje said, taking in the quaint little room. Caroline expected the cabins to be more rustic and less developed.

"Yes, we've been working on maintaining exceptional living conditions here. But I must add there are a few things that everyone has to take care of individually" He said, finally detaching himself from Bonnie to let her unpack.

"Like?" Caroline asked, sure that she was the only one that didn't know. Bonnie seemed to be caught up on everything because of her and Kol's previous encounters.

"Like these are the only bed sheets you will get, and the clothes that you brought are most likely the only ones you will have for some time. It is your duty to wash them if you wish them clean. There is a river about a mile North of here where you can do that" He moved to lean against the threshold of the front door.

"The leaves and straw on your rooftop are only there to provide camouflage from any search helicopters that may possibly pass over this area. It's your job to keep them fresh- you'll probably have to replace them every couple of weeks" Caroline nodded, understanding all the basic chores they had to take care of.

"Everyone has to contribute in the labor aspect- gathering wood, we're working on farming, fishing, hunting, things like that. You can go get your jobs tomorrow- Bonnie knows where to go" Bonnie nodded and he continued.

"Oh and breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at the kitchen- you can't miss it" He turned, about to leave.

"Thanks, Kol" Bonnie said and he turned, giving her a huge smile. She blushed in return.

After that they both stayed silent as they unpacked. Aside from the beds, there were also two chests in the room. Caroline unpacked and folded all of her clothes, placing them neatly in the chest along with a brush, a mirror, and a few hair ties she had brought. She put her messenger bag in the chest too and closed the lid, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"I don't know about you, but that was a little scary" Caroline heard Bonnie say as she sat on her bed as well.

"What do you mean?"

"Kol's brother, Klaus? Don't tell me you weren't at least a little scared?"

"Well, he was...intense" She admitted, thinking back to their encounter.

"Yeah, Kol told me about him"

"How many brothers does he have?" Caroline asked, remembering that Bonnie had mentioned that.

"I can't remember exactly, I think two" She said, pulling her eyebrows together as she thought.

"Oh" Caroline said, wondering what his other brother would be like. Another question came to my mind. "How long has this place been here?"

"I'm not sure. Kol only told me a little bit about how they got here"

"How did they get here?"

"Well, there was a whole back story that he said 'wasn't his to tell', but long story short, one of his brothers followed a girl here and they all followed. They've been here for five years"

"Wow" Caroline mused.

"Yeah, he said that when they first got here it was really underdeveloped, but they've been able to advance everything a lot" She said, letting out a yawn and laying down in her bed.

Caroline did the same- being able to sleep on an actual mattress was much better than the forest ground.

* * *

**Not much Klaroline but they'll be coming soon!**

**Leave me some reviews if you like this idea- the more I get the faster I'll update! I have this whole story written already and all I have to do is edit it (originally it was in the first person point of view, but I didn't like it like that) and post it!**

**Visit my website for more updates :) Love you all!**


	2. Part II

**Hey, everyone!**

**Sorry for being gone for a while, but school has been really hectic.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

My Other Half

Part II

Two weeks passed. And then one month. And then three months.

Three months had passed since they had arrived at the Mystic Falls rebel camp- and Caroline had yet to learn why it was named the Mystic Falls rebel camp.

Bonnie and she had become better friends, having to live with each other on a daily basis.

They would wake up at dawn and go to the mess hall to get breakfast. Then they would go to Stefan, the guy in charge of giving them their jobs for the day. Then they would go out with the rest of the camp members to do their jobs.

Sometimes it was lumber work, other times it was hunting or fishing. They had been able to learn how to do everything on the job, and were getting better everyday. In the afternoon they would return to camp for lunch and for a break before getting back to work.

About an hour before sunset they would return to camp. From then on they were free to do whatever they wanted until dinner. After dinner everyone usually hung around outside next to campfires that were usually already set up and then they would all go to sleep to get a good night's rest for the next day.

Stefan, Bonnie and Caroline sat on the hard forest ground next to one of the already roaring fire pits.

"That looks like a nasty cut you got there, Caroline" Stefan said, looking at her hand. Stefan and Caroline had become really good friends in a short amount of time. Everyone thought he was broody and boring, but once you got to know him, he was a lot more fun.

"It's not that bad" She said, looking at her palm- it was that bad. They had gone hunting today and they were able to spot a moose. Needless to say, they needed all the men (and women) power they could get. She wasn't bleeding so much anymore but that was mostly because the blood had dried on the cut.

"Yes it is, Caroline. You should have that looked at- it can get infected" Stefan said.

"I told her, but you know she's stubborn" Bonnie said, shaking her head.

"You should go see Elijah"

"Who?" Caroline asked, completely thrown for a loop.

"Elijah- he's our doctor" He said.

"We have a doctor?" She asked, thoroughly surprised. Stefan chuckled.

"Yes, we can go now if you want"

"No, she has no choice. We're going" Bonnie said, standing up quickly and pulling Caroline up with her, being careful not to hurt her hand.

Stefan lead them to one of the larger cabins and knocked on the door.

"Come in" said a voice from inside and he pushed open the door, letting the two girls go in first.

The room didn't look much like a doctor's office, but then again they weren't in the Town's doctor's offices.

"What can I do for you Stefan?" A man sitting at a small desk in the corner of the room said. He stood up and came closer and Caroline looked him over- he had short brown hair and dark brown eyes. The candlelight exaggerated his features but they seemed soft, kind.

"These are my friends Bonnie and Caroline. Caroline needs tending" Stefan said, gesturing to her. Elijah moved forward to shake Bonnie's hand before turning to Caroline.

"Hello, Caroline" He said with a pleasant smile, holding out his hand to shake hers.

"Um..." Caroline hesitated, holding up her hand to show him why she couldn't shake his.

"Hm, I see. May I?" He asked. She nodded and he got closer, leaning down to examine her hand.

"We're going to need to clean this up. You may even need stitches" He said.

"Stitches? Ouch" Stefan said and Caroline caught Bonnie elbowing him in the ribs.

"You can have a seat over there" Elijah said and gestured toward a chair in the room. She went and sat down and watched as he got things prepared. Bonnie and Stefan hovered by, not exactly crowding around her but not leaving her side.

"Alright, here we go" Elijah said as he brought over a basin filled with water and a few pieces of cloth. He pulled up a chair in front of her and began tending to the wound.

When he first started washing off the dried blood, it did not hurt very much. But once he got closer to raw skin, the sting of the cool water on the open cut caused Caroline to flinch each time he dabbed at it.

Caroline looked over at her friends to distract herself and almost laughed at their expressions- they seemed to be even more uncomfortable than she was.

Right when Elijah began to move aside the basin of water to get his other equipment set up, the door of the cabin burst open.

"Oh, Elijah!" Kol's unmistakable voice sounded through the room.

"What is it, Kol?" Elijah asked politely, but he seemed slightly irritated.

"Klaus needs your medical expertise, once again." He said then he looked over at Bonnie, Stefan and Caroline "Oh look, you have company" He said, walking over to the group and throwing an arm around Bonnie, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Caroline had gotten used to seeing them like this, and it made her happy that Bonnie had someone that cared for her.

"I see you've met my other, less annoying brother" Kol said.

"He's your brother?" Caroline asked skeptically. Now that she looked at them, they did look alike, but Elijah was obviously more...educated.

"Yes, I know you can't really tell because he's rather boring" He said, scrunching his nose.

"You have no tact" Bonnie mumbled and Stefan and Caroline tried to suppress our laughter.

The sound of footsteps coming into the room drew their attention to Klaus who came in with a gash on his left cheekbone.

"What happened now, Niklaus?" Elijah said, still gathering the things he needed to stitch up Caroline's hand.

"Damon Salvator happened" Klaus growled "He has absolutely no respect for authority, no offense mate" He said turning to Stefan.

"None taken" He said, holding his hands up.

Klaus's eyes drifted to Caroline and he looked her over quickly.

She hadn't seen much of him since the first time they had met three months ago, but she had seen him. He was sometimes part of her group when they had to either go out hunting or collecting wood.

They had probably only said a handful of words to each other, but Caroline was aware of his presence whenever he was around- it was hard not to.

When they went out to collect wood, he would take off his shirt most of the time, and not noticing his perfectly chiseled torso and tanned was kind of difficult. Only about two other women besides Bonnie and Caroline usually went out on jobs and they always ogled him.

When they went hunting, he would always lead the group. And from what Caroline had gathered, he seemed to be the unspoken leader of the whole camp.

"This brave little huntress-" Caroline was drawn out of her thoughts when Kol reached over to ruffle her hair "Was part of my group today. You should have seen her, she really stepped it up today" He said proudly.

Kol and Caroline had become friends as well. She was always part of his group and he was practically attached to Bonnie's hip so they saw a lot of each other. At first he had been cold toward her because he didn't trust her, but once he saw that she was a hard worker and clearly had no underlying motive to be there, he backed off.

"Oh really?" Klaus said, coming closer. The small audience had gathered around her and she blushed, feeling uncomfortable under everyone's eyes and Kol's compliments.

"It was no big deal" She shrugged. Elijah pulled up a small table in front of her and she put her hand on the table. He took a needle and some thread and placed a lit candle on the table.

"No big deal? We took down a moose, Caroline!" He said, practically jumping for joy.

"Exactly- we. It was a group effort" Caroline said, still watching as Elijah thread the needle and ran the tip of it over the flame.

"Oh, whatever. She's just being modest" Kol huffed.

"Alright, I'm not going to lie- this will be painful" Elijah said, looking at her almost apologetically.

"I figured" She said, giving him a tight lipped smile.

"Ready?" He asked, positioning the needle at the beginning of the cut. She nodded, bracing myself.

When he pushed the needle in, the pain was much more excruciating than she thought it would be. She gripped her leg with her free hand and tensed her whole body, holding her breath. He stopped briefly after the first stitch.

"Would you like to rest?" He said but she shook my head. She kept her eyes on his work as he began the second stitch, pain shooting up her arm.

She felt a cold sweat form on her forehead and she tried to keep her screams in her throat. Every once in awhile she would let out a small whimper, but she would clamp her mouth shut immediately.

He had just finished the third stitch when Caroline felt her free hand begin to loosen. When she looked down she realized that Klaus had pulled up a chair next to her and was now holding her hand in both of his.

"It's alright sweetheart, I'm here" He whispered so that only she could hear it. His blue eyes shone in the candlelight and she was momentarily distracted by his features.

Elijah pushing the needle into her skin again brought her back to reality and she gave Klaus a small nod, turning her attention back to her hand.

After each stitch or whenever she would squeeze his hand harder than usual, Klaus would reassure her. Having him there made her feel oddly safe.

"That's it" Elijah said as he tied a knot after the thirteenth stitch. Caroline began releasing her grip on Klaus, but he kept her hand trapped in his.

Elijah wrapped some make shift gauze around her hand and began cleaning up.

"You'll have to come and change the gauze every night, and for now I recommend you don't do any of the labor"

"But-" Caroline started to had gotten used to working, and she kind of liked going out with the rest of the guys and being part of helping the camp prosper.

"No complaining. If you go out on any kind of job you might burst one of the stitches" He said in a more serious tone.

"Alright" She conceded, not wanting to have to experience another stitch in her life.

"Let me clean this up so that I can tend to you" Elijah spoke again, but this time he was looking at Klaus. Caroline stood up and he slowly relinquished his hold on her hand.

"Come on, let's go home" Bonnie said, putting an arm around Caroline's shoulders and leading her toward the door, Stefan and Kol going on ahead of them.

She glanced over my shoulder at Klaus, catching his gaze before she walked out the door.

* * *

Since the first day Bonnie and Caroline had woken up in the rebel camp they had been busy from sunrise until sunset. There was always wood to collect, animals to hunt, things to do, and not doing anything was a rare luxury.

So when Caroline woke up the next morning to find Bonnie missing and the Sun shining bright, she felt a little weird.

She had never been good at waking up at the crack of dawn, so Bonnie had taken on the job as her alarm clock. If she didn't wake her up she would sleep the morning away.

Caroline sat up and looked at the plate of food resting on Bonnie's bed, a small note next to it. She reached for the paper, pulling it open and reading the small note.

_Don't be stubborn and take care of your hand- NO labor. Eat breakfast and rest up. See you at lunch._

The note was short and to the point and Caroline huffed, half annoyed as she grabbed an apple off the plate and bit into it.

When she finished breakfast she laid back down on her bed, resting her hands over her stomach.

She stared off into space for some time before she heard a knock on the door. She frowned, getting up and padding over barefoot to see who it was.

Caroline certainly was not expecting to find Klaus, wearing a black long sleeve t-shirt and cargo pants, to be standing at her doorstep.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked, not bothering to hide her confusion.

"Well, good morning to you too, love" He quipped, his trademark smirk gracing his features.

"Good morning. What are you doing here?" She threw back at him, causing him to chuckle and look down at his shoes before looking back up at her through his lashes, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"I thought you might want some company, seeing as you are rest-ridden for the next couple of days"

"You want to keep me company? Here?" She asked incredulously, making a slight gesture to the inside of her cabin.

"Of course not, I'll be taking you out"

"Out where?"

"Just come with me, Caroline" He said, half annoyed and half amused. Despite being extremely confused she thought about it for a second, biting her lip as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Fine, just let me get dressed" Caroline said, moving to close the door, noticing how his eyes raked up and down her form. Thank god for the door or else he'd see the furious flush that had settled on her cheeks.

She was only wearing a flimsy pair of shorts and a tank top, what she usually went to sleep in.

She quickly stripped down and pulled on a pair of jeans, throwing on and olive green long sleeved v-neck and her sneakers.

She brushed out her hair and pulled it into a ponytail, going out to meet Klaus.

He was standing a few feet away from the door, his hands clasped behind him. Caroline tried not to take in his muscular arms which were exquisitely outlined by his shirt, his posture exuding all the confidence of a leader. He looked her over like he had done before, but this time a little slower.

"Where are we going?" Caroline asked, trying to distract herself.

"How's your hand?" He asked, looking down at her wrapped wound.

"It doesn't bother me as much as before" She said, unconsciously bringing it up to look at the gauze around it "Hows your face?" She asked, leaning over slightly to look at the six stitches that held his wound closed.

"It'll heal" He said and started walking. Caroline followed next to him "Kol said that if it left a scar, I could impress the ladies" He said, wiggling his eyebrows. She couldn't help but laugh, the light hearted comment was something she had never expected to hear from the big bad Klaus.

"You don't need a scar to impress the ladies" The words slipped from her lips before she could take them back. She let out a small laugh, making it seem more like a joke than a confession.

He smirked but looked forward, dropping the subject.

They walked in silence for some time as he lead them out of the camp and into the forest. Occasionally his hand would graze hers or he would reach to slip an arm around her waist, helping her maneuver over rocks and logs.

"Are we almost there?" Caroline asked as she reached for his hand and he pulled her up over a some rocky terrain.

"You're impatient" He chuckled. It was true, she had probably asked the same question five times already.

"You didn't answer my question" She pointed out as she felt the weight of his hand on her lower back.

"We're here" Klaus said, and she looked forward. The sound of rushing water rang in her ears and she kept walking forward. The ground seemed to disappear a few feet ahead of them and when Caroline reached the edge, she looked down at the falls the were rushing beneath them.

She leaned forward, trying to get a better view of the two cascading falls, falling into a giant lake below.

"This is beautiful" She whispered, not sure that he would hear her. She stepped back from the edge, realizing how close she was to possibly falling.

"This is Mystic Falls" He said, sitting down on the ground, his feet bent in front of him. Caroline followed suit, sitting and crossing her legs and looking out in front of them.

They were quiet again, but this time it was a comfortable silence. He was the first one to speak up.

"Who did you leave?" Klaus asked, staring off into the distance.

"My mom, just my mom" Caroline sighed, picking at the grass "I don't have any brothers or sisters, and my father passed away a few years ago"

"Do you miss her?"

"Sometimes, when I'm alone or before I go to bed because it's the only time I really have to think. But she knew how unhappy I was with everything, so I think she understands why I left" Caroline said and he nodded slightly. "Who did you leave?" She asked, turning so that she could face him completely.

"My mother and my father" He said in a tone that implied that the topic wasn't up for discussion, so she didn't push it any further.

"Why do you keep that?" He said, nodding towards the necklace that she wore everyday. "I mean there's no point to it anymore, why would you still wear it?"  
"Because it helps me remember" She said, playing with the small silver pendant. "It helps me remember where I came from and why I left"

At that moment her stomach growled and she placed her hand over her belly, realizing that she was hungry. Klaus chuckled and stood up, reaching out to help her stand.

"Come on" He started walking again but this time Caroline didn't follow.

"The camp is that way" She said, point in the direction from which they had come.

"We're not going to the camp" He said over his shoulder and she tried to catch up to him.

"Where are we going?"

"Not far" And he was right, they only walked a few feet before he stopped in front of a tree and began lowering a basket, something she had seen Bonnie do before.

"How-" Caroline started. He pulled out a blanket and laid it down on the ground.

"You were asleep for quite some time, Caroline" He said, pulling out two bundles of already prepared lunches. Her stomach growled again and she sat down on the blanket, reaching for her food.

"So how old were you when you got that?" He asked casually while they ate.

"A few months ago, on my eighteenth birthday"

"You're only eighteen?" He said, surprised.

"Yeah. I have some friends that have gotten it sooner" She chewed carefully, narrowing her eyes at him "Why?"

"Oh nothing, I just got mine later that's all"

"You had one?" She should have known that he did- anyone eighteen or older had one.

"Yes, I got mine when I turned twenty-one. Most of the people that I knew in the city got it around that time" He said as he swallowed.

That was understandable- the rules for the people in the City were a bit different than for the people in the Town.

They fell into some light conversation after that. Well, mostly Caroline talked and he listened. Whenever she would ask him something he would give her a short answer, his tone always implying to leave the topic alone.

When they were done, he began picking up and continued heading away from the camp.

"Are we ever going to go back?" She asked as she walked next to him. The ground started sloping downward slightly and she almost lost her footing when she stepped on a loose rock but Klaus's hands shot out to grab me.

"Careful, sweetheart" He said, his arms wrapped around her tightly, their faces a breath away. Caroline glanced at his lips for half a second, and found that he had done the same.

"You didn't answer my question" She breathed, slowly standing up straighter but staying in his arms.

"We'll return eventually" He said with a playful smirk, starting to walk again. He kept his arm around her waist as they continued down the slope.

* * *

They walked for some time, drifting from light conversation to comfortable silence. Caroline had lost total track of time so she looked up at the sky, trying to figure out what time it was by the position of the Sun. That proved to be a challenge because she couldn't find the Sun.

"It's going to rain" She stated, watching as the gray clouds rolled across the sky.

"Seems that way" Klaus said, still walking.

"Where are we going?" She repeated for the third time.

"You'll see" He replied for the third time.

"Are we almost there?"

"Yes, we are close" He said with a smirk.

"Why are you taking me places? I mean you said that you thought I might need company, but I don't understand why you wanted to spend the day with me. It's not like we know each other very well, and-"

"Caroline," He stopped and so did she "You are rambling, sweetheart" He said, his too-blue eyes darting across her face, a smirk permanently plastered on his lips.

"Stop smirking and answer my question" She said, crossing her arms and frowning.

"I fancy you" He said, schooling his features into a more serious expression. That was unexpected. "Is that so hard to believe? You are strong, beautiful, full of light- anyone would be blind not to see it"

She relaxed a little, flattered by his words but not really knowing what to say.

"And you are right, we do not know each other very well but the few chances in which I have had the honor of interacting with you, I've liked what I've seen" He finished, his lips curling up into a smile, not a smirk. "Now come on, before it starts to rain" He slipped his arm around her waist again and pulled her in the direction of their destination.

She sighed, uncrossing her arms and walking alongside Klaus, her thoughts running rampant.

He fancied her? How was that possible? He was Klaus, almighty leader of the Mystic Falls rebel camp. He had women fawning over him all the time, and his ignorance to their advances only made them want him more.

And her? She was just simple, eighteen year old Caroline Forbes. That was it. There was nothing else to her. No guy was chasing after her, she wasn't the leader of anything. She just did what she had to do to get by and that was it.

Caroline glanced over at him quickly, seeing the small smile still set on his lips.

They had barely had a handful of conversations before today, and that was enough for him to come to the conclusion that he liked her? She never understood boys.

Back in the Town, the only guys that had shown any remote interest in her were Tyler Lockwood and Matthew Donovan. Matt was sweet and kind, but they ended up being more friends than anything. Tyler on the other hand was something different.

Caroline actually did like him, and the feelings didn't go unrequited. But they did nothing about it, especially after he got his necklace and she got hers.

But she had known them since she was little and could see that they liked her by the subtle flirtations.

Klaus had literally just dropped in out of nowhere.

She started thinking back to their few encounters. She should have guessed that he felt something for her because somehow he always made it a point to be close to her whenever they talked and touched her whenever he had a chance. She hadn't made much of it until now.

"This is it" Klaus said and Caroline looked up to see the biggest house she had ever seen.

"What exactly is this?" She asked, panicking. There wasn't supposed to be any form of civilization near the rebel camp and Klaus was definitely not supposed to take her to it.

"You'll see" He said, moving forward but Caroline stepped out of his grasp.

"No, I've been following you around all day with no idea of where you would be taking me and I am not going into a strange house in the middle of nowhere with you if you don't tell me what this is" She said without stopping, resisting the urge to stomp her foot because it would be childish.

"This is my home" He said calmly.

"Your what?"

"I few miles away from here is the town of Mystic Falls. It's in ruins now because everyone lives in the Town or in the City" He clasped his hands behind his back "If you could come in I'm sure I can explain it to you better" He said, turning but not moving.

As if on cue, it started raining right then, heavy drops of water landing on Caroline's skin. She huffed and caught up to him as he lead her toward the front of the house.

The mansion had clearly been something grand in it's time, but now the outside looked deteriorated and ruined.

Klaus opened one of the grand double doors and let Caroline go in first. As she looked at the parlor, it paralleled the deteriorated state of the outside of the mansion. There was no lighting in the room except for the light that came in through the windows and there were leaves on the white marble floor. There was a grand staircase in front of her which seemed to still be in good shape.

She looked up at the glass chandelier hanging over the center of the room, wondering what it would look like if it was lit.

Although everything looked old and ruined, there was still a sort of beauty to it. Caroline could imagine what it would look like with a coat of paint and some cleaning.

She didn't realize she had been staring for so long until her gaze fell on Klaus who was leaning against the wall with an amused look on his face.

"What?"

"Come on" He said, walking deeper into the mansion. Caroline followed him as they passed through more rooms, most of them had furniture covered in plastic, rolled up area rugs and more chandeliers.

He finally stopped in one of the rooms that were more toward the back of the house. When she turned the corner, Caroline was surprised to see two women sitting on the couches that were set up there.

"Caroline, meet my sister Rebekah and my sister-in-law Katherine" He gestured toward the blonde girl and the brunette respectively. The blonde one, Rebekah, looked about Caroline's age. The other, Katherine, nodded and smiled slightly. Caroline let her gaze travel down to her her swollen belly.

"It's nice to finally meet you" Rebekah said getting up and coming closer to hug her "Nik's been going on about you for weeks"

"Bekah-" Klaus warned.

"Oh, please. With this family she would have found out eventually" Rebekah said, taking Caroline's hand and leading her to the couch where they sat down.

"It is nice to meet you, Caroline" Katherine said. She looked tired, but she was glowing.

"It's nice to meet both of you as well" Caroline said politely, shooting Klaus a look.

The three women fell into small talk about practically nothing. Rebekah and Katherine both seemed very nice and welcoming, but Caroline was a little nervous around them.

Klaus leaned against the threshold of the room, observing as they talked and giving his opinion every once in awhile.

"Alright, I think I should show Caroline around" Klaus spoke up, coming closer to take Caroline's hand.

"It was nice meeting you" Caroline said over her shoulder as Klaus all but pulled her out of the room.

"We will see you soon" Katherine said as they disappeared around the corner.

Klaus took her around, showing her the different rooms on the first floor. There was the kitchen and the ballroom, the living room and a study and other rooms that she couldn't remember the names of.

"So how exactly did you find this place"

"As I said, Kol and I were hunting and-"

"Yes, you told me. But why did you decide to make this your home?" Caroline asked as they ascended the stairs. Klaus was quiet for a few second before he spoke up.

"When my brothers and I first came to the camp, it was lead by an older gentleman- Mr. Pierce. He had been sick for some time and passed away within the year of us being here" He sighed when they reached the landing of the second floor "He had come to trust my brothers and I and left the camp to us" He said sadly and dropped the topic as they passed the first door, saying that that was Kol's room.

Caroline didn't push him any further and he continued pointing at doors and telling her which ones were Rebekah's and Elijah's rooms.

"This is my room" He said, reaching for the handle of one of the door.

"What about Katherine's?" Caroline asked, curious.

"She's Elijah's wife so they share a room" He said and she nodded. She had put that together on her own but wanted to see if she had been right.

"So you only have three other siblings?" Caroline said as he opened the door and they walked into his room. She looked around taking in the dark walls and large bed.

"Technically I have five other siblings"

"Five? There are six of you?" Caroline said incredulously and he chuckled.

"Yes, we are missing Finn and Henrik"

"Where are they?"

"In the City. Henrik is only fifteen and Finn is head of my family's corporation" He adjusted something on his bedside table. Caroline knew his family was rich, everyone in the City was rich.

"Why did you leave?" She asked, looking at an assortment of framed letters above his bed. He let out a heavy sigh and was quiet for a few moments before answering.

"I met this girl named Tatia at a party when I was 18. By the end of the night I was infatuated with her and she seemed to reciprocate my feelings." He ran a hand through his hair, scratching the back of his neck "I never introduced her to my family upon her insistence, and it did not bother me because she was fun and exciting. On my 20th birthday I received my necklace, but she had yet to receive hers. We knew that the chances of getting the same one would be next to impossible."

"A few weeks later, I was out in the City, just going for a stroll when I passed by a restaurant. I just happened to look inside and saw Tatia, holding hands with Elijah. I watched them and waited for them to leave." He paused for a moment "I saw how they acted around each other- they held hands and kissed in public and did things that we would do when we were together, and it all made sense"

"When I confronted Elijah that night, he said that he had been seeing Tatia for some time but had not wanted to say anything about their relationship because she had asked him not to. He also mentioned that they happened to have gotten the same necklace" He stopped suddenly and Caroline's jaw almost dropped.

"I told him about Tatia and I that night, but he didn't believe me. It wasn't until he asked her himself that he saw that I had been telling the truth" He looked up at Caroline, meeting her gaze "I ran away a few weeks after that and found the rebel camp. I returned to convince Elijah to come with me, but he wouldn't budge. It wasn't until he saw Katherine that he decided to come with us"

"He fell in love with Katherine on the spot?"

"Yes, I had told her how important he was to me and when she saw that things were going south, she came out and slapped him- literally slapped him." He chuckled, remembering the scene "I'd never seen Elijah so captured by a woman, not even Tatia"

"And Kol?"

"Kol likes to be where the party is, and he had gotten bored of the City" Caroline laughed at that, understanding him completely.

"So you never found your 'soulmate'" She said, putting air quotes around the word.

"I did actually" Klaus said, nodding. A smirk formed on his lips as he looked at Caroline. She cleared her throat and looked away from him.

"What's in here?" She asked when she reached a door that didn't seem to be a closet. She turned the knob and walked into the room.

The air was heavy and smelled of something she couldn't identify. Caroline went to pull open the curtains to let the light in, surprised to see that I was in the middle of what looked like an art studio.

"What is this place?"

"This is my art studio" Klaus said as he came in behind her, looking at what seemed to be his work.

Caroline looked around, catching a quick glimpse at the different canvases. Most of them were landscape, others were more abstract.

There were tables around the room, some of them with paints and paint brushes on them, others had scattered sheet of papers and sketchpads.

"This is so beautiful"

"Thank you" Klaus said, coming to stand next to Caroline while she admired one of his paintings.

"Do you spend a lot of time in here?"

"I come in here when I need to think" He said absently.

He showed her a couple more of his pieces before they decided to go downstairs again. It was already getting late and they would have to get back to the camp.

"You should stay for dinner, Caroline" Rebekah said as she greeted us at the bottom of the stairs.

"I-I don't think I should, we have a long way back to the camp" Caroline said, hoping Klaus would take her side.

"Nonsense, it's raining outside and you probably haven't eaten since lunch" Katherine said as she came into view.

"Uh," Caroline started, looking at Klaus who was giving her the option of staying or going. "Alright" She finally conceded.

They all walked toward the dining room where dinner was already set up. Klaus went around the table and pulled out a chair for her, then sat down in the seat next to hers.

"Something smells good" Kol said as he came into the room with Elijah in tow "And I see we have the lovely Caroline joining us for dinner" He said with a large smile.

"Hey, Kol. Elijah" Caroline greeted them both.

"Good evening, Caroline. How is your hand?" Elijah asked, taking a seat next to Katherine.

"Good, it hasn't bothered me" She said, holding up my bandaged hand.

"That's a good sign. I will change your gauze after diner"

"Thank you" Caroline smiled at him and watched as he gave Katherine a sweet kiss on the cheek. Katherine smiled and turned to him, talking to him so low that he was probably the only one that could hear her- they were in their own little world.

"How did that happen" Rebekah said, pointing at Caroline's hand with her fork before digging into her food.

"Oh it was nothing, I was-" Caroline started to explain but Kol cut her off.

"Nothing? It was incredible! We had been out hunting for a good two hours when we spotted the biggest moose I had ever seen! I swear it's antlers were huge" He stretched out his arms to show how big he antlers had been "So of course I fired the first arrow and hit it square on its side, effectively drawing its attention..." He continued, explaining how everyone had pounced on it then, making himself seem the the hero. Typical Kol.

"But the thing kept moving and no one wanted to get near it. Next thing I know, Caroline runs out and grabs the thing by the antlers, pulling it down-"

"It had like ten arrows in it already, it was pretty weak" Caroline pointed out. He was making it seem like she had super human strength or something.

"But still, no one else went out but her. So, the thing kept moving and I'm pretty sure that's when you got cut, right?"

"Yeah, its antlers had this sharp part and when it move I got cut" Caroline hadn't noticed right away but when they had the beast down the wound was evident.

"And that's when everyone went to grab it by the antlers, too. Long story short- if it weren't for Care, we wouldn't have acquired a week's worth of meat" He finished and finally began to eat.

"That is very impressive" Elijah commended.

"Very brave" Katherine agreed.

"Thank you, it was really nothing" Caroline said with a smile and continued eating. She glanced at Klaus who had his eyes on her. He didn't look away when she caught him, but instead shamelessly stared at her.

"Let the girl eat, she must be starved from having to put up with you all day" Kol quipped, effectively breaking the moment.

"Shut up, Kol" Caroline heard Rebekah say, and soon the two siblings were at each other's throats.

* * *

When they finished dinner, the group moved to the room where she had seen Rebekah and Katherine earlier that afternoon. A fire had been started in the fireplace and everyone sat around it.

Kol took an armchair for himself as well as Rebekah. Katherine sat where she had sat earlier that afternoon with Elijah by her side. Caroline took a seat on the other couch and Klaus sat down next to her, too close again. He rested his arm behind her and she tried not to blush at the proximity.

"So Caroline, is there anything you would like to know? I'm sure you have some questions" Elijah asked.

"Um, I think Klaus did a pretty good job of answering my questions today"

"Oh, please. Nik does nothing but omit half of the things that make him uncomfortable" Kol said from his chair. A pillow hit him square in the face "What the bloody hell?"

"You never know when to shut up, do you?" Rebekah said from across the room.

"Stop taking your anger out on me, Rebekah. Just because we couldn't bring Stefan around today doesn't mean you have to be so temperamental" That caught Caroline off guard.

"You know Stefan?" She asked Rebekah.

"Oh, she knows Stefan very well" Kol said and Rebekah all but stood up and slapped him.

"Settle down" Elijah said and they both held their tongues.

"Who exactly built the camp?" Caroline asked, trying to ease the tension.

"Why would you like to know?" Katherine asked.

"Well, I've heard about rebel camps but I never thought they actually existed."

"My father was the one who made the camp. John Pierce" She started "It was a little over twenty years ago when he and a group of friends left the City and set up their camp here. At first they hadn't been planned to make this place so big, but they thought it necessary"

"Why did he leave the City?"

"Because he knew a lot of their secrets, and didn't like them."

"What kind of secrets?"

"Do you know how the Council came into power?" She asked and Caroline shook her head.

"They told us in school that it had to do with a shift in power and a need for a stronger form of government, but when I went to search for more information, there was nothing. It was like as if it was all word of mouth" Caroline said and Katherine nodded.

"The Council started off as a small group of people. They overthrew our government from the inside and started changing laws and putting up new ones. The Soulmate law, all the Career laws- everything. The people didn't like it, so they started to rebel, but the Council had more firepower at their fingertips and took down the militias easily. Once they had broken the people, they began reconstructing" She sighed.

"They made the Towns and the Cities and put their laws into effect. They erased all history that didn't coincide with the story they had constructed, slowly but surely brainwashing the masses. My father found all of this out, along with some other dirty laundry they had"

"So he decided to run away?"

"Yes, he took his closest friends and ran, setting up the camp. He didn't plan on bringing anyone in until a few years later when he came up with the idea of making his small camp a larger rebel camp. That's how he met my mother" She smiled fondly, recounting a story that was probably repeated to her for years "She lived in the Town and fell in love with my father instantly"

"So they continued to recruit people together" Caroline stated more than asked.

"Yes, by the time I was born they had a camp of about twenty-five and it kept growing." She smiled, seeming proud. "Now, without my mother and father here, they left these idiots to run the camp." Katherine eyed the brothers carefully, but the glint in her eye told Caroline she was joking.

"We have yet to crash and burn" Kol said with a triumphant smile.

"I still don't like being holed up in here" Katherine complained, turning to Elijah.

"I know, but you're close to your due date and I will not have you traveling back and forth between the village and here on a daily basis" He said sternly and she crossed her arms. It seemed like they had had this conversation before.

"So has Nik kissed you yet?" Kol said looking at Caroline and Klaus. Klaus kicked his armchair and it wobbled a bit. "It was just a question. I'm guessing that's a no?"

"Stay out of people's business Kol" Elijah reprimanded and Caroline tried to hide the furious blush that was probably all over her face. Klaus was tense next to her and he growled at his brother.

The rest of the evening went smoothly- well as smoothly as it can go with Kol in the room. He ended up getting kicked out of the room by Rebekah who retired to her room for the night. Elijah and Katherine both excused themselves as well and went to their room, leaving Caroline with Klaus.

"I'm sorry for Kol's behavior. He isn't house trained yet" Klaus said and she actually laughed. Maybe it was the tension or the need to just relieve the stress of the evening, but she actually laughed.

"Why do they call you Nik?" Caroline asked, turning to face him. They were close to each other already, so turning her head was probably not the best idea. She stayed in place, trying to make it seem casual.

"It's what the people closest to me call me"

"But I've only heard Elijah refer to you as Niklaus"

"Yes, we aren't...as close as we used to be"

"So why doesn't he just call you Klaus?"

"Niklaus is my full name, he knows I'm not very fond of it"

"Why?"

"Because Mikael gave it to me"

"Your father?'

"Not my real father. He was the father figure in my life, but he wasn't the best"

"So, he wasn't your real father?" Caroline asked and furrowed her brow, slightly confused.

"No, my mother had an affair and I was the consequence. Mikael reminded me of that everyday" He looked down at the ground, the mood changing to a more sordid and sad one. Caroline didn't know what to do so she just wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, trying to ease the look of shame on his face.

"Anyone would be lucky to have you as a son" She whispered and tucked her head into his neck. Klaus slowly wrapped his arms around her and they stared at the fire, listening to the rain pattering against the windows.

* * *

**There you go! I hope that juicy Klaroline filled update will hold you over until I can update again (I'll try to make that happen soon).**

**Okay, I'm gonna address some questions and stuff that came up in the reviews:**

**Some people said that this story reminded them of the novel Matched, but I wouldn't know because I've never read it. Others pointed out that it reminded them of the Hunger Games and I, of course, have read the Hunger Games like fifty times lol :) I didn't notice it had some Hunger Games aspects until it was pointed out. Also, thank you to those that mentioned Matched because I've been needing a new book to read and that one seems interesting!**

**For those of you who are a little bit confused as to what is going on in the story, I tried to explain some stuff in this chapter, so I hope it helped!**

**Thank you for all the super amazing reviews, and keep them coming!**

**~M**

**P.S.: (Spoiler alert for PLL) I CANNOT BELIEVE EZRA LIKE OMGOMGOMG! TBH I NEVER EXPECTED IT BUT I STILL LOVE HIM OK CHECK OUT MY BLOG LINK IN MY AUTHOR'S PROFILE OK BYE**


	3. Part III

My Other Half

Part III

Caroline woke up in an unfamiliar room. The walls were dark and the bed was soft and the room was big. She let out a breath, realizing that she was in Klaus's room.

The last thing she remember from the night before was talking to Klaus until late. She must have fallen asleep, she thought, and he must have taken her up into his room.

Caroline looked around, realizing she was alone.

She reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her necklace. She hadn't remembered taking it off or Klaus taking it off. As she put the chain over her head and around her neck, Caroline felt a burning sensation on her chest. She quickly looked down and began dusting off her shirt, frantically trying to get whatever was burning her off.

She pulled her necklace off and threw it on the bed next to her, and the burning immediately stopped.

She frowned, looking down at the two silver chains that bined into one single pendant. Caroline carefully picked up the pendant, holding it in front of her face to examine the completed little shape.

As she lifted the shape in front of her, she caught a glimpse of the doorway where Klaus was standing. His eyes were wide as he stared at her, and she looked between him and the pendant.

"What is this?" Caroline asked still holding up the necklace, her gaze fixed on Klaus. But he didn't answer. "Klaus, what is this?"

"That is my necklace," he said simply, still looking at her. At his words, she looked down at the completed little pendant. Completed.

Klaus was her soul mate.

"That's… that's not possible," Caroline said, still in utter disbelief. Her eyes stayed trained on the smooth metal of the shape at the end of their necklaces. She had imagined what her half would look like if it was ever completed, and she liked it. It was unique from all others, and it was hers.

And Klaus's, her other half. She would have never imagined him as her soul mate. Ever. Even after he had claimed to have feelings for her, she didn't think they would be connected like this.

In truth, she never really believed everything everyone said about finding your soul mate- especially when that person was chosen for you by some computer and tied to you by a necklace. Literally.

She looked up at Klaus who was studying her carefully, as if he was contemplating whether to leave and give her some time to figure things out or stay.

"Did you know about this?" Caroline asked.

"The moment I saw you I knew."

"Why didn't you say anything?" She ignored his open statement. She didn't know whether he was referring to the moment he saw her or the moment he saw her necklace. But she wasn't going to ask him to explain because from what little knowledge she had of him, she knew for a fact that he was an eloquent man. He would surely turn the tables on her if she didn't ask the right questions.

"I wanted to get to know you, without the underlying context of our predisposed connection in the way."

Klaus mentally cursed himself for being so stupid- he had left his necklace on his nightstand the last time he had been in there and had completely forgotten to hide it when he had left Caroline in his room the night before.

Now she sat on his bed, slightly baffled and clearly angry. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked when she was mad- her eyes grew wide and a fire burned within her emerald orbs.

"So did you just say you fancied me because of this?" Her voice broke through the barriers of his mind. Her anger was evident as she shook the now completed pendant in her hand.

"No, I said that because I wanted you to know how I felt. I've felt like that since the moment you stepped into my office, and I didn't need to see that necklace to know," he cursed himself again. The day before had gone so well, and he was sure he had charmed her enough into giving him a chance.

Spending a better part of the night talking with her had proven that he had chosen well. She wasn't only beautiful, but she was also intelligent and caring. He had witness her kind nature and humble persona before, but it had never been directed toward him.

Caroline stared as he looked at her, like as if he could see right into her core. And she didn't like it. She didn't like how he could utter a simple sentence to make her walls crumble down with no resistance.

She rolled her eyes and got off the bed, wanting to return to the camp as soon as possible. She would have walked back alone if it weren't for the fact that she didn't exactly know the way.

"I want to go back to camp. Now."

"You should eat something, Caro-" he started but was cut off when Caroline raised her injured hand to make him stop.

"Now," she repeated, trying to make it clear that this wasn't up for discussion. In reality she was hungry and later she would be starving but she wasn't going to tell him that.

She wasn't sure why she was so angry with him, she knew he hadn't done anything wrong. But the soulmate connection was something she had always rebelled against, and finding out that her soulmate was Klaus automatically made him off limits in her mind. It didn't matter how she had felt about him just hours before- no, she hadn't felt anything.

Klaus nodded and stepped aside to let her pass through the door. He looked back at the bed where she had been laying moments before, and where she had left their necklaces.

He looked away, pushing away the hurt and rejection brought on by her simple action, and followed her down the hall and down the stairs. Rebekah and Katherine, surprisingly, were nowhere to be found, so he and Caroline were able to make a clean exit.

She walked ahead of him until they were out of the house and continued to storm on ahead of him until they were nearing the climb up to the top of the falls.

Caroline slowed down when she reached the uphill climb that would lead them to the top of Mystic Falls. There were loose rocks and bumpy patches and she remembered Klaus having to keep a grip on her while they had descended.

She wanted to tell herself that going up wouldn't be that hard, but as she glanced around she picked out at least three spots where, if she hadn't noticed them, she would have surely stepped on them and fallen downhill.

"I won't let you fall, Caroline," she heard Klaus say from behind her. She wanted to roll her eyes and say that she didn't need his help, but she wasn't stupid.

She nodded once and began the ascent.

By the time she made it to the top with Klaus on her heels, she had only lost her balance once and had been able to catch herself from falling. Klaus had remained right behind her, and she could feel his outstretched hands behind her back. He didn't try to touch her, but he was ready to catch her if she fell.

It felt weird not having him nearby anymore- just the day before he had been glued to her side, now he kept his distance. And that was her doing.

She thought about how things would have been like if she had actually accepted their soulmate connection and had not directed her anger and inner turmoil at Klaus. They would have probably stayed at the mansion to have breakfast and then they would have leisurely returned to camp, him helping her up dangerous terrain with his hand resting on her lower back.

She shook her head slightly, shaking the thoughts from her mind. That wouldn't happen now- Klaus was off limits.

The rest of the walk back to the camp was quiet and awkward. Caroline seethed and Klaus tried to come up with something to say, coming up with nothing. He had never been speechless, and he prided himself in knowing what to say at all times. But the silence lingered between them as they weaved through trees and rocks and traps.

When they finally reached the camp, he walked Caroline to her house and made sure she got to her door safely. But he couldn't let her go without letting her know.

"Caroline," he said, loud enough for her to hear. She stopped at her door and slowly turned around, regarding him carefully. "I would still very much like to get to know you."

Caroline looked into his eyes, sincere and hopeful. But even though she wanted to get to know him, too, it was against everything she had ever stood for. She had lived her life as a rebel to everything the council and their laws meant- oppression and control. Being with Klaus and giving into her desire to be with him would go against her morals, and that was all she had ever had in her life.

She didn't say anything and simply gave him a tight lipped smile, turning and opening her door, not looking back.

* * *

Four months.

Four months since she had closed her door on him.

Klaus sat back against a tree, revelling in the shade the leaves provided. He had been working with the lumber group today- one of his least favorite tasks. He liked to hunt because it was all about strategy and patience, focus and control. Things he was good at.

Cutting trees was simply labor, and having his hands busy usually didn't offer his mind much distraction- especially with an enticing blonde only a few feet away.

Caroline was in his group today, and she hadn't acknowledged him accept for a curt nod in the morning when the group had gotten together to begin their trek into the forest.

They couldn't really avoid each other all together because the rebel camp wasn't that large and everyone had to work together, so they were bound to run into each other every now and then.

He remember one of the first weeks after she had found out they were soul mates when he had went to go see Elijah and Caroline was in his office, getting some of her stitches removed. He could see that she was uncomfortable and wanted to comfort her like he had done the day she had been getting them, but he knew it wasn't the right moment. She had acknowledge him and then turned her gaze to her hand, not looking away from it until she had left.

There was the other time at the mess hall when she was waiting in line to get her meal. They hadn't particularly had a good week of hunting, so there wasn't much food to go around. She had a couple of meager scraps on her plate and he had watched as she sat down by a fire pit and began to pick at her food.

Without a second thought he walked over to her and sat down next to her, receiving a confused looked from the blonde.

"Here, you need to eat," he said as he put his plate in front of her.

"I'm not taking your food, Klaus," she shot back, turning away from him. He looked around before he leaned in closer and spoke in a volume only she could hear.

"There's enough food at my mansion for my siblings and I. You need to eat, you're about to disappear on me." He looked down at her frail form. She had put on some muscle because of all the labor, but the lack of nourishment had made her cheeks sallow.

After more coaxing, she finally accepted his ration and he left her alone for the night, glad she had accepted his help.

The next time he had seen her, she was rushing into his house with Elijah. They dashed right through the front entrance and up the stairs to where Katherine was screaming and whining.

He had been standing by the staircase because Rebekah had thrown him out of the room his in-labor sister-in-law was occupying. Kol came running in seconds later, him having been the one to go get Elijah. He had explained that Caroline was being tended to by Elijah because of a large cut on her arm. Kol retold in explicit detail how Caroline had insisted on putting off her injury so that Elijah could go help his wife deliver their child.

Elijah had insisted that she come with him because he would need assistance from someone besides Rebekah. She had agreed and they had taken off toward the mansion.

Klaus and Kol stood outside the door while Rebekah and Caroline rushed in and out with random supplies. She threw Klaus a smile once as she passed, and he didn't see her again until after he heard the distinct cry of a baby on the other side of the door.

Caroline had come out and happily announced that it was a girl, the smile on her face was a sight he would never forget.

She had a similar smile now as she laughed with some of the other men in the group. They had probably said something funny and she was laughing.

The smile wasn't exactly the same, but it was pretty close.

Her golden hair was up in a loose ponytail, a hairstyle she often worked in. He could see the gleam of sweat on her forehead and neck from a hard day's work. She wore a flimsy blue tank top and jeans which had already been torn with months of wear and tear.

He watched as the group of guys around her fawned over her, clearly vying for her attention. She didn't seem to notice, and didn't flirt when they tried to.

Suddenly he saw her excuse herself and she went for the water basin. She picked it up and began going from worker to worker, offering to fill the cantinas.

This was something she often did when everyone was on break, Klaus noticed. Whenever he worked with her in the lumber group, she did this without fail. Since Klaus never carried a cantina, she would simply look at him from afar, asking with her eyes if he needed anything. He always shook his head.

But this time, when she was finished with her round, she stepped away from the group and walked toward him.

He watched her curiously as she walked, each step was confident and she didn't seem to wane under the weight of the water basin.

"Thirsty?" She asked as she got closer. Truth be told, he was parched. Today had been an extremely hot day and he could feel his lips dry and his tongue swell up as the day progressed.

Caroline looked down at him, his bare chest gleaming with sweat. His shirt was thrown over his shoulder haphazardly, covering her favorite tattoo.

"I'm fine, love," he replied with a smirk, but she could see his lips were cracked and his eyes were beginning to droop from exhaustion.

"Liar," she accused him. She put the water basin on the ground and sat down in front of him, reaching back to unclip her cantina from her belt. She held it out to him, but he didn't make a move to take it. "Take it, Klaus."

"I can't take your water, Caroline."

"I'll refill it once you finish."

"Caroline," he said.

"Klaus," she mocked his tone. "Just take the damn water."

He looked up at her, seeing the determination clear in her eyes as it was in her walk. He reached over and took the cantina from her hand, keeping his eyes locked on hers as he did so. He tilted his head back and brought the nozzle to his mouth but didn't let it touch his lips.

Caroline watched as he tilted his head back and swallowed the contents of her bottle. She had had a decent amount of water in there, and he really did look like he needed it. Caroline knew that he didn't drink any of the water that she offered, not because he wasn't thirsty, but because he didn't want to take away from the camp something he could get when he went home in the afternoon. She found it very thoughtful, and yet very ridiculous on his part.

He finished off the water and let out a sigh, feeling refreshed. He handed the cantina back to Caroline and she put it on the ground next to her, shifting forward a bit so that she was completely under the shade. They looked at each other, sharing a couple of awkward glances and almost smiles. After a few minutes, Klaus sighed.

"We're avoiding each other," he stated. Caroline looked up at him- he was looking at her and she took a moment to register what he had said.

"Yeah," she said. She had wanted to argue with him and deny it, but it was clear as day. Bonnie and Kol had even noticed. Stefan had noticed. When she had helped Rebekah and Elijah with Katherine, Rebekah had mentioned how Klaus hadn't been the same since the day she left the mansion.

"We could be friends, you know?" Klaus said, treading carefully. She hadn't come up to him on her own volition since the day she found out they were soulmates and he didn't want to scare her off.

"Yeah, we can be," she said, not sounding totally convinced. It wasn't that she didn't want to be his friend, but she knew that they had a connection way beyond friendship. And it had been established despite the soulmate connection- well, at least for her.

"Good," he nodded slightly, taking in her response. But he knew that they couldn't be just friends- their bond ran deeper than that. He didn't know if the whole soulmate connection had anything to do with how he felt about her, but he knew he felt something much stronger than just friendship for the glowing blonde that picked at the grass in front of her, trying to distract herself.

But he couldn't help his curiosity. He thought he knew why she wouldn't let their relationship escalate further than friendship, but he wanted to hear the words come out of her mouth.

"Caroline, can I ask you something?"

"Anything," she said absently, instantly regretting it. But Klaus never got the chance to ask her because at that exact moment, Kol's voice echoed through air.

"Caroline! Caroline!" They both turned to see a red faced Kol barreling toward them. He dodged rocks and weaved through trees, passed the rest of the laborers until he got to them.

"What's the matter, Kol?" Caroline asked when he stopped beside them, leaning over to put his hands on his knees. She watched as he tried to take in large breaths of air to calm his breathing. After trying a couple of times he stood up straight, giving Caroline a glance at his features- he was scared.

"Bonnie- Bon- she-" He tried to control his breathing. Caroline shot up before he could speak any more and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Bonnie what?" She urged him and Klaus slowly began to get up. "What happened to Bonnie, Kol?"

"She was...with the hunters and...hole in the ground...she fell in…" His breathing started to even out and he told them quickly about the underground cave they had stumbled upon- or more like fell into.

Once he told them everything at lightning speed, all three of them took off, lead by Kol, to rescue Bonnie. As Caroline ran behind Kol with Klaus next to her, she couldn't help but notice how he hadn't said a word since Kol had approached her. He had wordlessly followed, offering his silent support- something she was very grateful for.

After a ten minute run across the forest, Klaus, Caroline and Kol reached the place where there were a group of rebels huddled around a hole in the ground. They looked up as the trio approached, telling Kol that Bonnie sounded like she was fine.

"She said she hasn't broken anything, and that she's a little scratched up and will probably have bruises tomorrow." One of Kol's men informed them and then stepped aside. As she got closer to the edge, Caroline inched closer and leaned over a bit to get a better look into the dark hole.

"Bonnie?" She called down.

"Hey, Care," Bonnie's voice came up through the opening. She sounded fine, but a bit shaken up.

"Don't worry, Bonnie, we'll get you out of there!" She called over the edge before quickly turning to the group of men including Kol and Klaus. "I'm going to need rope, and lots of it."

"What do you mean, _you_?" Klaus asked.

"Yes, me as in I'm the one going down to get her, I'm the only one lithe enough to fit through that hole. So rope- tie it around that tree there and I'll just repel down, then-"

"Caroline, you are not going down there," Klaus interrupted her as she planned out the entire scenario in her head.

"Um, yes I am," she said narrowing her eyes at him.

"No, you are not," he said back in the same serious tone.

"Klaus," she said in a warning tone.

"Caroline," he mimicked her. He watched as she set her jaw and looked away from him.

"Rope. Now." She commanded Kol and he nodded, going the the group's supply bag and taking out a long rope. Caroline examined it, sure that it would hold. She went to the tree she had been referring to before and brought the rope around it, tying a strong knot. "You watch the rope," she said, pointing at one of the hunters. He nodded, not bothering to oppose the feisty blonde.

"Care-" Kol started, decided to take his brother's side.

"Shut up, Kol," she snapped and he quickly shut his mouth.

"Caroline," Klaus grabbed her arm as she began to tie the other end of the rope around her waist. "Don't go down, we'll send someone else."

"Klaus, she's my best friend. I can't leave her down there if I know I can do something to help her."

"Caroline," he said a little softer. "Please, don't go."

Caroline looked up at him, taken aback by his sudden change in demeanor. She scanned his features, finding the same fear in his face that was all over Kol's. He was scared for her.

She gave him a small smile and leaned up to place a quick peck on his cheek.

She pulled at the knot around her waist to make sure it was tight enough. She stepped away from Klaus's hold and he unwillingly let her go.

Caroline threw the roped down and grabbed onto it, making sure it was taut between her and the tree. She took a deep breath and began to descend, finding spots to place her feet as she went. She looked up one last time at Klaus and gave him a small smile, trying to ease that worry that was etched into his face.

She continued to climb down, the light from up above guiding her as she went. After a couple feet, it started to get darker and darker.

"Care?" She heard Bonnie call from below.

"I'm coming Bon. But stay quiet, the echoes could cause the rocks to collapse," she said in a whisper, but made sure Bonnie could hear her.

After another couple of feet, she heard Bonnie's voice, but much closer.

"You're right above my head, Care."

Caroline climbed down the last few feet and let her feet touch the stony ground. She couldn't see Bonnie, but she knew she was there.

"I'm glad you're okay," she said, wrapping her arms around her friend and pulling her in for a hug.

"What are you doing down here, it's dangerous!"

"Exactly, that's why I'm getting you out," Caroline stepped back in the small space, her back rubbing up against the stone wall. She slowly untied the knot around her waist, commending herself mentally for tying such a good knot.

Then she threw the rope around Bonnie and secured it as best as possible. When she was sure that the knot would hold, she gave a tug on the rope and looked up. The she could see someone's head as they leaned over the hole, but she knew they couldn't see her.

She felt the rope grow taut again and soon Bonnie was being lifted up into the air. She let out a little shriek as she tried to stay upright, but it was difficult. Caroline watched as her friend ascended into safety. Bonnie got the the opening of the hole and Caroline saw as she scurried to get on solid ground.

But as she did, her foot pushed against the edge of the opening, setting loose one rock, and then another, and then another.

Caroline watched as the rocks began to rain down. She crouched down and threw her arms over her head, huddling into a ball on the floor.

Another, and another, and another.

"Caroline? Caroline!" She heard Klaus's voice and then she heard a deafening_ crack!_ She looked up, but she could no longer see the light.

* * *

**Cliffhanger!**

**Sorry, not sorry.**

**But I am sorry that this chapter was a little short- I'll make up for that next time. Also, I know that all of a sudden the point of view changed from third person limited to third person omniscient, but I did that to kind of parallel their connection. Like, now that they are both aware that they are technically soul mates, we get to see both of their thoughts. If that makes any sense. It made sense in my head ok.**

**So, what will happen next? Any ideas?**

**~M**


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